SAND SPRINGS — At one time, it was just a broken-down shop barn.
That is until Sheila Bright transformed it into an events center in Sand Springs.
For couples getting married, it's becoming a go-to place in the country for those looking to say their I do's.
Three-year-old Charley Bright loves to show off her grandmother's remodeled barn.
It sits on the family's 35 acres outside Sand Springs.
"You could get pictures if you want and you guys can go over there and marry," Bright said.
It wasn't much before they took it down to the studs.
"We got a thing you can't look at now. We got a shower in here! Right here. Right here," Bright said.
It was last year when Sheila Bright decided to fix up the barn, and make the farm the family moved to in 1995 available to more than just close friends.
"I like having parties and I like people and I like hearing their stories and so this is kind of a passion project just that now I have a nice place to do that," Bright said.
The building's now clad in forest thinnings from Arkansas, and the inside in the remnants of an Illinois barn, beams and square nails included, that once stood alongside a hotel frequented by the circuit-riding Abraham Lincoln.
"That's the story we're going with, Abe Lincoln's horses likely stayed here," Bright said.
The chairs come from Spaghetti Warehouse, or an English pub, the big-serving tables are hand-made, and there's room to roam outside.
"And you can sit here, eat or something or watch a lake," Bright said. "We didn't really mean to get in the party planning business but that's what it's become."
The school district and the Chamber of Commerce have had events here, bridal reservations are stacking up and there's a brand new kitchen to accommodate them all.
Little sisters excitement aside, it's a place of peace and calm.
One the Bright family's decision ought to be shared.
"It's a special place so I hope we've created a place, too, that other generations can continue on and it can be an important part of Sand Springs for years to come," Bright said.
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